Homemade Granola

Image: Serving plate filled with homemade baked granola

Description: Granola is one of my all-time favorite fall snacks to make and this recipe is a real treat for your tastebuds! Trust me on this!

Yield: Recipe makes 8 – ½ cup servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)

• 1/3 cup raw honey

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 1/4 cup whole flax seeds

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the oats and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, honey, raw agave, coconut oil, and salt. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, stirring requently to heat the oil/sugar mixture just enough so the brown sugar can dissolve a bit better into the other liquid sweeteners.

Mix the cinnamon and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add the sugar mixture to the bowl with the oats. Mix thoroughly to combine, ensuring that is evenly distributed in the oatmeal. Add the chia seeds and flax seeds. Stir to combine.

Line two medium baking sheets (or one large baking sheet) with parchment paper and spray each with cooking spray. Split the oatmeal mixture between the two sheets. Press down the oatmeal and form into disk like shape roughly 1/4 in thickness. It is important that the granola not be spread too thinly as the finished product will not end up as multi-layered chunks if the granola is spread too thin.

Cook for 45-50 minutes. Every 15 minutes, stir the granola thoroughly and switch the pans in the oven so the one on the top is now on the bottom. Stirring and rotating the pans ensures even cooking and brownness when done.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. The liquid hot sugar will harden as it cools, and once completely cooled, should look and feel like sheets of candied oatmeal that you can break up into custom size chunks. Break it apart and transfer into an air-tight storage container.